THE BASICS:

Score: Sacred Heart 5, Holy Cross 0
Records: Holy Cross (12-16-5, 11-11-5 AHC); Sacred Heart (10-17-6, 9-12-6 AHC)
Location: Worcester, Mass. (Hart Center)
Date: Saturday, Feb. 21, 2015
Time: 7:05 p.m.            
The Lead: Evan Jasper scored two goals on the night for Sacred Heart as the Holy Cross men's hockey team fell to the Pioneers 5-0 in Atlantic Hockey action at the Hart Center on Saturday night.  The Crusaders began the game with a ceremony honoring their four seniors; Tommy Dwyer (Ridgefield, Conn.), captain Matt Ginn (Lindsay, Ontario), Nilan Nagy (Canonsburg, Pa.) and Jake Youso (International Falls, Minn.).

Video: Postgame Press Conference:

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• A hard fought first period ended with the score still knotted at 0-0. 
• Holy Cross had two power play opportunities in the period but was not able to capitalize on the man-advantage. 
• Sacred Heart finished the period on the power play but the Crusader defense held them scoreless.
• Each team had eight shots on goal during the first 20 minutes of play.
• The Crusaders earned the 12-11 advantage in face-offs won for the first period.
• Sacred Heart opened the scoring early in the second period at the 1:45 mark with a goal by Jasper. Jacob Brightbill sent the puck up the ice to Zach Sabatini who deflected it through the middle to Jasper who skated around the back of the net and beat Ginn low on the stick side.
• Just over three minutes later, Sacred Heart increased its lead to 2-0 with another goal by Jasper, his second of the game. Justin Danforth delivered a centering pass to Jasper as he found space between the Holy Cross defenders directly in front of the net.
• The Pioneers added to their lead at 13:24 in the second period with a goal by Kory Kennedy making the score 3-0 Sacred Heart. Erlich Doerksen passed the puck behind the net to teammate Ben Lake who fired a centering pass from the circle to a waiting Kennedy, sending his shot high on the stick side.
• Zach Luczyk increased the Pioneer lead to 4-0 at 18:18 with a shot that went about 15 feet in the air before landing over the back of Ginn. Connor Doherty earned the assist on the play.
• The second period ended with the score 4-0 Sacred Heart.
• Jeff Carroll scored the only goal of the third period on a power play at 17:52. Doherty carried the puck up the ice and sent a pass to teammate Doerksen who fed Carroll down the middle of the ice beating Ginn on the stick side.
• The game ended with Holy Cross falling to Sacred Heart by a final of 5-0.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS:

• The Crusaders held the advantage in face-offs won by a margin of 37-29.
• Holy Cross outshot Sacred Heart 11-4 in the third period but the Pioneers put more shots on net overall with the 26-22 edge.
• Ginn had 21 saves on the night and Alex Vazzano had 22.
• Sacred Heart went 1-4 on the power play while Holy Cross went 0-6.

BEYOND THE BOXSCORE:

• The Crusaders won the season series against the Pioneers with a record of 2-1-1.
• Holy Cross is now tied for sixth place with Air Force in the AHC standings with 27 points. RIT is fifth with 29 points. The top five teams earn a first-round bye in the AHC Tournament.
• Junior Brett Lubanski (Farmington Hills, Mich.) entered the game ranked fourth in the nation with 399 face-off wins and added another 10 to his total tonight.

SENIOR NIGHT:

• This year's senior class has been a part of 66 wins as they were also a part of back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in program history.
• Dwyer has played in 107 games with eight goals and 11 assists for 19 points. Dwyer has been named to the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic team twice and is a member of the Holy Cross Leadership Academy. He has also been very involved with Power Play Points for Pink which raises money for breast cancer research.
• Nagy has played in 121 games, posting 21 points with one goal and 20 assists. This season, Nagy has been a part of a defensive core that is ranked first in Atlantic Hockey in goals allowed per game. Nagy has also been a two-year member of the Atlantic Hockey All-Academic team.
• Youso has played in 115 games with 11 goals and 25 assists for 36 points. As a junior, Youso earned Atlantic Hockey All-Academic honors. He has been a member of the Holy Cross Leadership Academy and the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.
• Ginn holds the school's all-time career records for saves (3,456), save percentage (.916), games played (125) and minutes played (7471:27). He also set the program's Division I record in career shutouts (8). Ginn is the only Crusader to ever record over 1,000 saves for a season with 1,076 in 2013-2014. As a freshman, he was named the National Rookie of the Month and the last two seasons he has been named team MVP. Ginn is a member of the Holy Cross Leadership Academy and was voted as a team captain as a senior.

UP NEXT:

• The Crusaders conclude their regular season schedule with one more Atlantic Hockey contest next Saturday, Feb. 28 on the road against Bentley. Holy Cross is 1-2-0 against Bentley on the season.

KEEP CONNECTED:

• There are numerous ways to stay connected with the Holy Cross men's hockey team. Follow the Crusaders on Twitter @HCrossMHockey and on Facebook. You can also get the latest news and results on the team sent directly to your e-mail. To sign up for e-mail alerts go here: http://www.goholycross.com/list-signup.